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On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . .
This beautiful collection features twelve gorgeously romantic stories set during the festive period, by some of the most talented and exciting YA authors writing today. The stories are filled with the magic of first love and the magic of the holidays.

My True Love Gave to Me is a collection of twelve YA (and I would argue NA) romance short stories, written by established authors of the genre. There’s something for everyone in this collection, with contemporary, magical realism and rather trippy fantasy, though the majority would be categorised as contemporary, I would say. I enjoyed all of the stories, though some more than others. This book is great for the winter, especially if you want something short to read each night, or between longer books.

Best and worst

The best: The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link

The worst: Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter

Snapshot

First impressions

The cover is cute but didn’t quite tickle my fancy. What really sold this book to me was Iris from IrisjeXx thrusting at me in the bookstore while she was visiting and insisting I read it. Who was I to say no to a book?

I wasn’t disappointed either, as I enjoyed every single story bar one, which seemed rushed.

Contents

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link

Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Peña

Polaris is Where You’ll Find Me by Jenny Han

It’s a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins

Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan

Krampuslauf by Holly Black

What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman

Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire

Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White

Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

My favourite stories

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell (contemporary)

The first story is about Mags and Noel and takes place nearing midnight on four consecutive New Year’s Eves. The first year, Mags meets Noel for the first time. They become best friends, but she wants more. Each year, she wants to kiss him at midnight. I could feel Mags’ despair and frustration, but Noel totally made up for it in the end.

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link (magical realism/fantasy…I can’t decide)

THIS WAS MY FAVOURITE! <3 In this absolute gem, we follow Miranda (whose mom is in prison in Thailand) over several Christmases with the rich, thespian Honeywell family. The first year, when Miranda is 11, she spies a strange man looking in from outside the house while it snows. Each year, she tries to find him again, but she quickly notices a pattern in his appearances. This was glorious and beautiful and magical and I WANT FENNY.

Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White (contemporary with a smidgen of psychic powers)

We get a taste of family love and romantic love in this story about Maria and her life in the teeny town called Christmas in California. Waitressing effectively for free for her mom’s boyfriend’s mother’s diner, she can’t wait to be free. Enter Ben, the new cook for the diner who is actually ecstatic to be in Christmas. What’s more, Ben seems to have a touch of magic, guessing what food would make each customer the happiest. While his magic can’t solve the more serious problems, it does facilitate a change for everyone in the town.

All I can say is, Ben is adorable and I want him to cook for me.

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (fantasy)

The girl in question is Neve, an orphan brought to an island as a child to be cheap labour in a factory. She has come of age to be considered by the island’s men as a wife, but she doesn’t want to belong to any man. She calls upon the Dreamer, and something rather unexpected happens.

This book is what I imagine a drug trip would be like. I am both fascinated by the Dreamer and a little creeped out by him. All in all, though, this story has convinced me that I definitely need to read more of Taylor’s work.

Goodreads updates

Why you should read this book

Aside from the fact that some great authors have contributed to this collection, I can think of two great reasons to read it.

The stories are guaranteed to make you feel warm and fuzzy on a cold winter’s night.

They can act as a litmus test for which genres you’d most enjoy, especially if you don’t read a lot or want to explore other genres outside of your usual. Depending on which stories are your favourite, you’ll be able to check out the authors’ other works and find longer novels in a similar vein.

One response to “Review: My True Love Gave to Me, edited by Stephanie Perkins”

Wow that’s an impressive chart you have up there about genres and writing and everything else. I also really enjoyed this one, but I think my favourite was MIDNIGHTS by Rainbow Rowell 🙂 Great review D!

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